Dear John,

I have never really been that good at endings. I always feel like I'm losing something rather than gaining. And sometimes a sense of  loss can be quite debilitating. But as difficult as change can be, I have to move on. There's something pulling me elsewhere. It's something I can't really explain. Call it an impulse. Call it a gut feeling. Whatever it is, I have to follow where it leads. I would be lying if I  said I wasn't nervous or afraid of falling flat on my face. But for  whatever reason, this feels like the right thing to do. I hope you understand. You were always good at knowing what I was saying even when I couldn't find the words. And though I may have seemed upset or bitter in the past, there is actually no ill will. I am very grateful for the  lessons learned and eternally thankful for having aligned temporarily. Maybe this isn't an end at all but rather a shift. A shift into something different. Cheers to the shift. Cheers to diving off into the deep end over and over again.

Always,

EJ

The above "Dear John letter" from EJ Hill informs us of his transition away from a primarily performance-based practice and into a flirtatious affair with painting. It is a letter to his past thinking about his future. It is a letter about change – reflections on beginnings and endings. These new works are to EJ as love songs are to the crooner.

EJ Hill is an artist living and working in Los Angeles. Recent exhibitions include Internal Visualizer, Grace Exhibition Space, Brooklyn and Slow Dance, RAID Projects, Los Angeles. EJ received his BFA from Columbia College Chicago and his MFA from the University of California, Los Angeles.